Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine now '95% effective' - to be submitted for authorisation 'within days'

The final analysis of the vaccine developed by pharmaceutical corporations Pfizer and BioNTech has shown that it is 95% effective in preventing Covid-19 disease.

Per The Independent, Pfizer has said that the candidate has passed its full safety checks and is now ready to be presented to regulatory authorities for market approval.

Last week, Sky News reported how the firms released interim data showed that the vaccine had been tested on 43,500 people from six countries.

The initial results showed a 90% effectiveness based on the analysis of 94 infections among participants in the phase three trial.

However, the two companies have been able to provide a further and clearer verdict on the effectiveness of the vaccine after a total of 170 cases were reported.

And today (November 18), as reported by Sky News, Pfizer and BioNTech say they plan to submit the Covid19 vaccine to the US regulator for emergency use approval "within days" after "no serious safety concerns" were raised.

The final efficacy analysis of the vaccine states that 95% of subjects were protected from the virus within 28 days of the first dose - with adults over 65 years old seeing a higher-than-expected 94% effective rate.

Last week, Joe Biden said of the initial breakthrough announcement:

"Last night, my public health advisors were informed of this excellent news. I congratulate the brilliant women and men who helped produce this breakthrough and to give us such cause for hope.

"At the same time, it is also important to understand that the end of the battle against COVID-19 is still months away. This news follows a previously announced timeline by industry officials that forecast vaccine approval by late November.

"Even if that is achieved, and some Americans are vaccinated later this year, it will be many more months before there is widespread vaccination in this country."

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Biden then talked about the importance of CDC's guidelines on wearing face coverings - a guideline he has been vocal in supporting throughout 2020.

"This is why the head of the CDC warned this fall that for the foreseeable future, a mask remains a more potent weapon against the virus than the vaccine," Biden wrote. "Today's news does not change this urgent reality."

In response to the news, Trump also tweeted (in all-caps) on Monday (November 9): "STOCK MARKET UP BIG, VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. SUCH GREAT NEWS!"

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The incumbent president also retweeted the following video from news outlet Reuters:

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Per Business Insider, Trump may have been pointing out climbs in the stock market, but global stocks have reportedly hit record highs after following Joe Biden's projected win of the US presidential election.

In a statement provided last week, Albert Bourla, Pfizer's chairman and chief executive, said of the breakthrough:

"Today is a great day for science and humanity.

"We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing over-capacity and economies struggling to reopen.

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Bourla added: "With today's news, we are a significant step closer to providing people around the world with a much-needed breakthrough to help bring an end to this global health crisis.

"While we are all in the midst of a second wave and many of us in lockdown, we appreciate even more how important this milestone is on our path towards ending this pandemic and for all of us to regain a sense of normality."